Page 30 of Room 908

It was too early for enthusiasm, but he flashed me a thumbs-up, eyes still fixed on the screen.

As I headed into the kitchen and got started on the batter, I thought about how different this would’ve been if Eric had been here. Would he have played it off all casual, strolling into the living room and plonking himself down on the couch to watch cartoons with our son like this was an everyday occurrence? Or was he the type of morning person who woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and would he and Cameron have made the pancakes together? My thoughts snagged on that image, stuttering to a halt. What would that be like? I’d made ten years’ worth of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners by myself. To have help would be…

Nope. Not going there. Way too soon to be painting that picture.

Eric would be getting on a plane shortly, heading out of town for a game in Kansas City this weekend, and maybe that was a good thing. I needed a little space to think clearly. Being around him made me throw logic straight out the window. Besides, according to him, I apparently had more important things to think about…

After I had mixed up the batter, I poured the first batch onto the hot pan, and while waiting for them to cook, I pulled out my phone and brought up the university website. Eric kept bringing up the idea of me going back to school to finish my medical degree. I had to admit, it was an interesting thought.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy my job. I liked working for my brother, the pay was decent, and I couldn’t knock being around cute animals all day, but it wasn’t exactly challenging me. I… well, Ilovedthe idea of learning something new.

It would mean accepting a lot of help, from Eric and from my parents, but Cam wasn’t a baby anymore. It would be easier now. It had been damn near impossible the first time around. I managed to get through my pre-med courses, but it was a lot of juggling. First through the final months of my pregnancy, then sleepless nights with an infant. The early-morning labs were brutal, and I missed too many bedtimes with my son in favor of study sessions on campus. It was a tradeoff, and I didn’t like it.

Then when my mom got cancer, I put everything on hold. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t babysit Cam for me anymore, but I also wanted to help take care of her. It was an easy decision.

Now? Deciding whether or not to go back? Less easy.

I was just scrolling through the course selection when my phone lit up with a phone call. At first it set my heart racing, and hope surged that it was Eric calling to say good morning. But nope, no such luck.

Sighing, I hit the accept button and brought the phone to my ear. “Hi, Brent,” I said shortly. It was Saturday. What did he need that couldn’t wait until Monday?

“Hey, Jasper. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Nope. What’s up?” I asked, giving the pancakes a flip. Only half my attention was on what Brent was saying.

“I was just, you know, wondering if… you’d like to go for coffee with me this afternoon.”

My hand jerked, launching a pancake, missing the pan entirely and landing on the floor with a plop. “What? Brent, no! That isnota good idea.” I didn’t get it. I hadn’t done a single thing to encourage him. I’d thought Eric’s public kiss would’ve had Brent backing off, but if anything, he seemed determined to double down.

“Why not? Is it because of Eric Van Leer?” His huff carried through the phone. I could almost hear the way his lip stuck out in a pout.

“That’s none of your business, Brent. Who I see is my choice.”

“He’s not right for you,” Brent scolded. “You’re making a mistake. Hotshots like him, they’re always looking for the next conquest. He’ll cheat on you, if he hasn’t already. You need someone stable.”

“Like you?” I scoffed, and Brent paused. I hadn’t meant to sound so rude, but he couldn’t be serious.

“Sure, why not me?” he asked. “We’re compatible. I own my house, have a good amount in my savings account. Cam and I get along great, and you know I’d take great care of both of you. I’d like to think I’m not bad-looking and—”

“Stop!” I interrupted. It was like he was trying to sell himself on the marriage market. “I just don’t see you that way. We’re friends, nothing more.” Honestly, that was being generous. I didn’t consider him anything more than a co-worker.

“Then, as friends, let’s go out for coffee. I can pick you up around—”

I slammed my hand down on the counter in frustration. “Oh shoot, Brent, my pancakes are burning. Gotta go!” And I hung up. I felt like I was being a coward, running from this conversation, but there just didn’t seem to be any other way out of it. He simply wasn’t taking no for an answer. And with my luck, Brent would just show up as if I’d agreed to the coffee date, so I quickly made plans to take Cam to the zoo for the afternoon instead.

Shutting off the stove, I poured myself a cup of coffee, then carried a plate of pancakes through to the living room and put it down on the coffee table in front of Cam. He slithered off the couch to sit on the floor, bringing his face even with the plate, and dug straight in.

“Ahem,” I said in an exaggerated way.

“Thank you,” he mumbled around a mouthful.

The TV show seemed like a bunch of nonsense to me, with bright colors, shrill characters, and no plot that I could decipher at all, but that suited me fine. I’d done enough thinking for one day, and my head was starting to hurt.

At the end of the show, as the credits began to roll, I saw Cam pause, fork halfway to his mouth. “Hey, Dad? When am I going to get a little brother or sister?”

I choked on my coffee, nearly spraying it everywhere. “What? Where did that come from?” It wasn’t the first time he’d asked me, but it had been a few years. Not since one of his friends in kindergarten had a new baby brother. Cam had been fixated on the idea of a baby all his own, and we’d had to have a talk about where babies came from and how I couldn’t get pregnant on my own.

But unlike last time, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him it was never going to happen. Because for the first time in ten years, it wasn’t impossible.

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